Naivasha (which is actually a colonial misinterpretation of the name Maasai Nai’posha, which means “turbulent water” in reference to the evening storms that frequented the lake) is a small city with a population of approximately 400,000 located about 70 km . Northwest of Nairobi, on the shores of Lake Naivasha and along the Nairobi – Nakuru highway.
The city sits on the floor of the Great Rift Valley and is a popular and busy transit point for the movement of goods and services, and a favorite stop for people to grab a snack as they head into the interior of the country.
In addition to its thriving $ 150 million-a-year floriculture industry dominated by large multinationally-owned horticulture and flower farms located along the shores of the lake, Naivasha is also a popular tourist destination, especially for Nairobi residents. looking to escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. life.
Some of the top attractions that can be seen here include the majestic 11,000 feet. Mount Longonot, a volcanic mountain that is now dormant. Hells Gate National Park, famous for its pair of gigantic red-hued cliffs. The park is home to an abundance of birds and game from the plains.
Lake Naivasha itself is a site to behold with over 400 different species of birds and a variety of wildlife and marine species. The popular Fischer Tower, offering fantastic climbing opportunities, is a place worth visiting.
Actually, if you start your journey right now, you may be in time to take part in the world’s largest wheelbarrow race, to Hell’s Gate in a Wheelbarrow, held every year to raise funds and awareness among the local community on the need to protect Naivasha’s. ecosystem.
Much of the lake is surrounded by forests of yellow bark Acacia Xanthophlea (known locally as the yellow fever tree) that abound with bird life, making Naivasha a world-class birding destination.
The shores of the lake attract a wide range of games including Masai giraffes, Cape buffalo and Colobus monkeys with numerous fat hippos lazing in the lake. The municipality that surrounds the lake is worth exploring, giving way to two smaller lakes nearby; Oloidien, with its flamingos and Sonachi, a bright green crater lake.
History buffs will quickly discover that Naivasha abounds with treasures from the past to pass on. For example, between 1937 and 1950, Lake Naivasha was used as Nairobi’s main airport and landing site for the Catalina Flying Boats, used by the Overseas Airways Corporation (OAC) for a regular service from London to South Africa.
These huge amphibious aircraft were luxuriously equipped and considered the ultimate in elite air travel. Arriving in Naivasha, near the Naivasha Country Club, passengers would get off and take buses to Nairobi, while passengers in transit watched a game of polo while waiting for the plane to refuel.
But Naivasha has its share of a dark past that began in the 1930s and 1940s with the birth of the infamous Happy Valley elite championed by one Lord Errol. These were settlers known for their carefree lives. His story is well captured in James Fox’s novel White Mischief, which was later made into a movie.
In the late 1970s and into the 1980s, Lake Naivasha was riddled with poachers. Migratory trails along Lake Naivasha were disappearing as fast as the local rose industry flourished and because of that some people like Joan Root (January 18, 1936 – January 13, 2006), a conservationist, environmental activist and filmmaker Oscar nominee, born in Kenya. , decided to fight for the protection of the fragile ecosystem of Naivasha, perhaps even to the death.